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Pine Bluff To Be Issued Check For Approximately $2.4 Million

Little Rock, AR -- The city of Pine Bluff is scheduled to be issued a check for approximately $2.4 million, with which it can make payments to the debris removal contractor and in turn to the sub-contractors, according to a joint statement by David Maxwell, state coordinating officer, Arkansas Department of Emergency Management (ADEM) and Joe D. Bray, federal coordinating officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

These funds will be released to the city of Pine Bluff from ADEM and are funded by FEMA.

Out of concern for the local contractors in Pine Bluff, ADEM and FEMA officials have expedited the payment process. The money is the next installment toward the cost of removing debris from December's disastrous ice storms.

The city of Pine Bluff has contracted for removal and disposal of an estimated 600,000 cubic yards of trees and limbs downed as a result of the ice storms. Pine Bluff's total eligible clean-up costs to date have been computed to be approximately $3.5 million.

President George W. Bush determined that the reimbursement rate for eligible debris removal in this disaster would be increased to 100 percent. Soon after the December ice storms were declared a federal disaster, FEMA released an initial payment of $976,500 to the city of Pine Bluff to expedite the clean-up of eligible debris.